on being try-lingual... (part 2)

More answers to questions I was asked by my friend's students:

Your personal perspective:

Which language do you feel is more useful/ important to you?

It depends on the situation! I can't imagine not speaking my mother tongue to my children. But because I met and got to know my husband in France speaking French, I like speaking French with him, and it reminds me of our “roots”, especially since we are no longer in France. For my Bible translation work, Hebrew, Monkolé and French are essential, and English is extremely useful.

Which do you feel you can express yourself best in? Do you ‘think’ in all of them?

I don't feel handicapped in French compared to English. I know that some people say that when they are angry or upset they can only express themselves effectively in their mother tongue, but I don't find that. Monkolé is a lot more difficult, partly because I have been learning it for a shorter time (4 years), and partly because there is a whole very different mentality and culture behind it. But that makes it all the more fascinating to learn! Sometimes someone says something, and even though you understand all the individual words you don't understand what they mean put together, or the point of what they are saying.

I definitely think in both English and French, depending on the situation and the people I'm with. I assume I must think in Monkolé when I'm speaking it, as I don't translate from another language to speak it.

For example, once when our consultant was with us, and we were working in French, I looked up and from our office window I saw some people arriving at our house. Without thinking I exclaimed in Monkolé, “Oh, it's the X family! They said they'd be calling in today, and I completely forgot...” then suddenly switched to French to say to our consultant, “Oops, sorry!” as he doesn't speak Monkolé. My other two colleagues with whom I do speak Monkolé were present, and I can only assume that somehow my brain “tuned in” to them, or else to the environment of our office, which is usually a totally Monkolé-speaking zone to me!